This weeks editorial - New board showing what it takes to make good, tough decisions

Posted:
07/28/2016 02:45:09 PM MDT

Tuesday night's town board meeting was a five-and-a-half-hour marathon, the first of its kind for the new board.

It was a good test of character.

It revealed many things to those who sat and watched it all the way through, either in person or online where it was streamed live.

It proved that this board has endurance, focus, patience, and a willingness to get things right -- no matter how long it takes.

It also illustrated that it had a heart and conscience, even in the face of some members in our wonderful community who obviously care more about their own welfare than those of others in the community.

It was a wonderful night to observe seven people, who listened carefully to opposition for a family-oriented business that will be a great asset to the community.

It was a wonderful night to watch these seven remain dedicated to the cause of affordable housing despite the "not in our backyard" objections that were raised by some residents.

It was, perhaps, a turning point for our town.

This board illustrated that it can't be badgered into making bad decisions by some groups who would have the board only approve decisions that they would specifically benefit them.

One resident, in particular, continued to harass the board with comments like "Do you care?" or "Do you care about what homeowners in the town feel?"

Of course, this board cares. It cares about all its residents, not just a vocal few who wish to have their self-interests served.

Advertisement

This board cares about new businesses and tries to accommodate them when possible. New, diverse businesses help strengthen our economy. We have seen the board do this time and again, whether it's a change in the code for a micro brewery or distillery, or a family-oriented business like the Lazy B Ranch.

This board cares about affordable housing. It has worked hard with the Estes Park Housing Authority on projects like Falcon Ridge. And, on Tuesday night, it helped clear the way for two more affordable housing units for Habitat For Humanity, despite some suggestions that the units were "an insult" to area neighbors.

It's not easy being a town board trustee. You have to be thick-skinned. You're not always going to please everyone.

At the end of the day, if doing the right thing is your priority, your heart is in the right place.

And, to be sure, this board's heart is in the right place and easy to see.

Article Comments

We reserve the right to remove any comment that violates our ground rules, is spammy, NSFW, defamatory, rude, reckless to the community, etc.

We expect everyone to be respectful of other commenters. It's fine to have differences of opinion, but there's no need to act like a jerk.

Use your own words (don't copy and paste from elsewhere), be honest and don't pretend to be someone (or something) you're not.

Our commenting section is self-policing, so if you see a comment that violates our ground rules, flag it (mouse over to the far right of the commenter's name until you see the flag symbol and click that), then we'll review it.